February 2, 2017

NEXT MEETING: FEB. 22, 2017, 7 PM

Charlene became interested in the Mexican state of Chiapas in the 90s, having heard stories about it from an anthropologist friend and read the novels of B. Traven set in Chiapas early in the 20th century. The Zapatista uprising of 1994 and a video of Mayan women marching on International Women’s Day in their beautiful traditional clothing convinced her to make her first trip there in 2000. At that time she met the weavers of the Mayan cooperative Jolom Mayaetik and has since returned each year to work with them as a volunteer in expanding the markets for their weavings. The autonomous cooperative was established by the weavers in 1996. Their weavings are done on backstrap looms and use designs inherited over the centuries. She will be bringing samples of their weavings to the meetings.

June 3, Spinning at the Winery. This is our 20th Anniversary! How can we make it even more special? Think of some great suggestions.

TWO PROJECTS

ASILOMAR 2017CNCH Grant Fundraiser

This fundraiser is for monies to be put aside to award scholarships to attend conference. One member from each of our five areas is selected each year. Within our area, Treadles has had 3 members chosen in the last 3 years.

The theme for this year is an ocean or beach-themed artwork, woven and/or handmade. They are looking to weavers and dyers for colorful beach totes or scarves, coasters, or placemats. To spinners and basket makers for fun sea creatures, creative uses of kelp, driftwood, or scavenged beach shells and things. Jewelry is another option. Let your imaginations run the gamut.

You don't have to be attending Asilomar 2017 to participate. Just give your item to our Liaison, Joan, who will transport it to the Conference. All entries need to email in a photo of your finished object [or object in production] along with dimensions to: egwathney@aol.com by April 15, 2015

All finished items should include your name, material, techniques and any additional information you want to add. If you are attending the conference, bring the item with you to Registration. Some items will have a silent auction, others will be in a raffle similar to what we do at the Winery.

The Second Important Project

As Will has mentioned, Spinning at the Winery is our 20th Anniversary this year. We are looking for some Extra Special [or just Really Nice] items for our Raffle this year. Pretty much anything goes as long as you think its something someone will buy a raffle ticket for. Fiber, Yarn, Finished Items, Equipment in very good condition, etc.

Don't worry if you think your item is too small, if its nice, we want it and will combine it with other items to make gift baskets.

YARN STANDARDS & WEIGHTSBeen wondering how to compare your handspun to commercial yarn when looking at pattern recipes? You might want to go to a "Standard Yarn Weights Chart". There are several sources for this and the first thing you will notice is that they don't always agree. Below you'll find a comparison between Ravelry and the Craft Yarn Council, which are the two most people rely on. The chart will give you some ideas of where your yarn will fall.One of the more important ways to gauge your yarn is by "wraps per inch", which is just what it says. Whether you wrap around a pencil, a knitting needle, a dowel or one of the beautiful, hand turned yarn measures, doesn't matter. The goal is to get the yarn very close without overlapping or leaving gaps. Don't stretch the yarn, and don't wrap too tight.About one inch will usually give a pretty accurate measurement. If your yarn is not fairly consistent, wrap two or more inches. Then simply count the wraps in one inch, for consistent yarn, or divide the count by the number of inches you wrapped for a textured yarn.

As for what needle size your yarn might need, Mabel Ross had a good beginning point. Take a section of your yarn, fold it in half and hold the sections next to each other. Put them over a needle gauge and move from one hole to another. The largest hole that your folded yarn covers completely without any clearance [you don't see any open space of the hole] will give you the needle size for a solid but well draping fabric. Knit your sample and see if its what you want.GOT $7500 TO SPARE?This spinning wheel is on ETSY right now. Just search "1708 spinning wheel". Its quite interesting, but you'll need to empty out your savings account to have it.

HYGGEWhy we all could learn something from the DanishThe practice of Hygge [hue-gah], originally from Denmark, is currently taking the world by storm, as people realize that its concept is one to which they can genuinely relate.

The main idea is to rid yourself of anything irritating or unpleasant and take some time to celebrate things which, quite simply, make you feel happy. Whether this be simply lighting a candle, pulling on some cozy bed socks [hand knit, of course], or having tea and cookies with friends, to Hygge is to enjoy the moment.This way of thinking is demonstrated perfectly by the fact that, despite the long months of cold, dark weather experienced in Denmark, they are estimated to be one of the world's happiest nations. Can this be linked to Hygge? Maybe.Its time to cozy up with fiber, spinning wheel, needles, or loom and spend time enjoying our favorite craft. Any why not add in a warming cup of tea, a handmade blanket and a napping cat, or two napping cats.